1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to an accessory for a motor vehicle and, more particularly, to a warning and alerting apparatus for monitoring the air pressure in a spare tire of the vehicle.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
It is critical to overall safety and efficient transportation of passengers that motor vehicles be equipped with a spare tire. Spare tires allow a motorist to temporarily replace a tire that is punctured or otherwise has low air pressure. Generally, such replacements occur while on the road and in a state of emergency. Motorists who must replace an existing tire with a spare tire are cautioned by most safety standards to move their vehicle either from the main highway if possible or off onto the shoulder as much as possible. Once off the road, additional care must be taken to ensure that the replacement process is performed without injury to the motorist or to the passengers of the vehicle.
In order to feel confident that one can make a safe and adequate replacement of a damaged tire with a spare tire, it is important that the motorist keep a properly inflated and road-ready spare tire in the vehicle. Unfortunately, as with many other safety procedures such as regularly checking batteries in a smoke detector, very few people perform the simple process of checking on the readiness of the spare tire. The process generally would only involve a visual inspection of the tire and a quick application of a tire pressure gauge. Failure to take such precautionary steps can cause one to become stranded alongside the road, totally dependent upon the kindness of fellow passing motorists.
What is needed is a warning system that monitors the spare tire of a motor vehicle and alerts a user of the vehicle that the spare tire needs immediate attention due to unacceptably low air pressure in the spare tire.
The present invention is designed to alert a motorist when the air pressure in the spare tire reaches an unacceptably low level. In so doing, the present invention provides a user with an opportunity to repair or inflate the spare tire to a safe pressure. By so doing, the motorist would be ensured that the spare tire would be constantly available as an appropriate and usable replacement for the vehicle's other tires that might become deflated or flat during a road trip. Thus, the present invention could prove to be at least a time saver and perhaps even a life saver for the motorist and his passengers.